First the birds finally addressed the fullback problem that has plagued them over the past few seasons. Next, the Eagles rebuilt their offensive line by signing mauler Stacey Andrews, then traded one of their two first round picks in this years draft for pro-bowl tackle Jason Peters.

At the draft, the Eagles added speed, weapons and depth. First speed, adding wide-out / return-man, Jeremy Maclin. Maclin brings in another explosive pass-catcher who can take the ball the distance anytime he touches the ball. Next they added another weapon in the running game by selecting Pittsburgh running back LeSean McCoy. McCoy is a Westbrook-like back who can catch the ball, make people miss and give Westbrook and chance to catch a break, while not losing his style of play. One thing that seperates McCoy from Westbrook, he is very capable of getting the short yards that have hurt the Eagles in years past. McCoy is Pitt’s all-time leading touchdown scorer, more then Tony Dorsett, more then Larry Fitzgerald. Finally, Cornelius Ingram, Victor “Macho” Harris and Brandon Gibson are three players taken on the second day of the draft who can end up making an impact for the birds. Read the rest of this entry »

First full slate of Saturday games in college football is upon us and it’s time to get the ball rolling on The Duke’s picks. All picks are by the spread with my predictions in bold…

USC -19.5 Virginia – That’s right, I figured I’d start things off with a bang. Will Virginia win, most likely not. Can they cover, absolutely. Player to watch: Left tackle Eugene Monroe is next in a long line of successful Cavaliers’ offensive linemen. Coach Al Groh says “He finished at a high level last year and it looks like he’s already beyond that level. He had an awesome summer and it’s looking right now like he can have a season comparable to any of those who preceded him.” Those that preceded him include D’Brickashaw Ferguson and Branden Albert, pretty lofty company.